Of Fear and Family
by PhoenixSong17
Summary: When the royal family of Arendelle welcomes a new addition, Elsa lets her fears get the better of her. Post-movie, one-shot, NOT Elsanna


**Have I ever told you guys how amazing you are? Thank you all so much for all the kind words you've given me and I'm really glad you all enjoy my stories. It's the reason I do what I do! Anyway, I've been working on this latest story for a little while, which explains why it's about twice as long as my previous works. I've read various stories here and there about Elsa becoming an aunt and I was inspired to write my own, so I hope I was able to do the idea justice. So, without further ado, I hope you enjoy my latest story about my favorite sisters!**

**Disclaimer: I realized I haven't been doing these...Although it's obvious, Disney owns all things Frozen. The only thing I own in this story is my OC, little Ava.**

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Elsa was sound asleep when it happened. The young Queen of Arendelle stirred lightly, cracking her eyes open and looking around the moonlit room, vaguely wondering what had woken her. Then she heard it. Voices, loud ones, we're echoing through the hallway just outside her room. As one thousand and one horrible scenarios began playing out in her mind, the bedroom door burst open without warning, causing Elsa to jump so violently, she nearly tumbled out of bed. As her vision adjusted to the sudden onslaught of light pouring into the room, a familiar voice reached her ears.

"Elsa!" the tall, blonde intruder exclaimed, excitedly. "It's time!"

As the queen was shaking the lingering fog from her thoughts, the weight of the man's words sank in. Suddenly, she was wide awake. Elsa flew to her feet and looked into the blonde's eyes with excitement.

"Are you sure, Kristoff?" she asked, grabbing him by the broad shoulders.

"Absolutely. It's coming," the ice harvester confirmed, a wide smile on his face.

Without waiting another moment, Elsa dashed from the room, Kristoff on her heels, and didn't stop until she had reached her sister's open door. Nurses swarmed the princess, adjusting her blankets and propping her up against a mountain of pillows, all carefully working around the swollen belly in the center of their preparations. The doctor overseeing the nurses turned, seeing the queen, and walked over to her.

"Your Majesty," he greeted with a deep bow.

"How is she?" Elsa asked, caring more about her sister than any silly formalities.

The doctor smiled. "She's doing just fine, Your Majesty. It will still be a while yet before the little prince or princess makes their debut."

"May I see her?" she replied, almost shyly.

"Of course," the doctor affirmed, dismissing the nurses.

Leaving Kristoff with the doctor, Elsa walked toward her sister's bed with careful steps. Looking up, Anna's face broke into a tired grin at the sight of her big sister.

"Hey, Elsie," she whispered.

"Hey yourself," the queen replied, sitting gently on the edge of the bed and taking her sister's hand in her own.

"Elsa..." Anna began, a shadow of worry behind her eyes.

"What's wrong? Do you feel okay?" Elsa asked quickly, her uneasiness growing at the look on her sister's face.

"No, I'm fine-well, as fine as I can be-it's just that..." The princess hesitated, taking a deep breath. "I'm scared," she finished in a whisper.

Elsa let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding and gave Her sister a reassuring smile. "That's understandable, but everything will be fine," she promised. "And soon we will have a new addition to the family."

Anna smiled gratefully, tightening her hold on the queen's hand. "Thanks, sis," she said. "I think I'd be lost without you."

Elsa's smile grew as she threaded her fingers through Anna's hair. "I'll be right here the whole time," she reassured her.

The next few hours were a flurry of activity that the queen struggled to stay up with. Nurses would flit in and out every fifteen minutes to monitor the expectant mother and check her vitals. Anna's contractions grew stronger every minute, while Elsa and Kristoff sat vigilantly beside the bed, taking turns holding a cool wet cloth to her forehead.

Soon the time came. The doctor and nurses rushed in, Kristoff was ushered into the hallway to wait, and the room was filled with Anna's cries. Elsa could feel the bones in her hand practically cracking from the pressure her little sister was putting on them, but she ignored it, continuing to stroke Anna's hair and speak words of comfort and encouragement in her ear.

Then, suddenly, it was over. Anna fell back against the pillows with an exhausted sigh as the sounds of gentle fussing filled the room. Elsa felt the hand in hers give a light squeeze. She looked over to see her sister's eyes filling with joyful tears, and the queen leaned over to place a firm kiss on Anna's temple. A quiet cough broke the moment as the sisters looked up at the doctor, who was holding a small bundle.

"Congratulations, Your Highness," he smiled, placing the bundle in Anna's arms. "It's a girl."

The princess gazed at the tiny human in her arms in wonder and gently began to rock her back and forth, cooing soft words of affection.

Elsa watched the display in silence, smiling warmly as her baby sister held her own baby in her arms. Then the child's eyes slid from her mother to her aunt standing behind her shoulder. Piercing sapphire eyes met icy blue ones and Elsa felt her chest constrict as all of the air left her lungs. As the fear began to settle in her stomach, the queen felt frost begin to creep up to her fingertips, causing her to jump off the bed in alarm.

"Elsa?" Anna looked up at her sister in concern. "What's wrong?"

Elsa's eyes looked everywhere but at Anna before she was finally able to untie her tongue and give a hurried response. "I...nothing, I just...Kristoff...his daughter...I'll get him," she barely got out before walking toward the door, leaving behind a very confused and concerned Anna.

When the door open, Kristoff looked up expectantly from his chair, quickly realizing that something was wrong by the look on the queen's face.

"Elsa? What's wrong? Are they okay? What happened?" He began, panic evident in his voice.

Elsa held up a hand and willed her face into a small smile. "Everything's fine, Kristoff, don't worry. Your daughter is waiting for you."

"Daughter?" Kristoff replied incredulously, a smile breaking across his face. He quickly brushed past Elsa and hurried toward the door, but turned just before entering. "Are you sure everything is alright?"

Elsa urged him on with a wave of her hand. "It's fine, now go meet your little girl," she insisted.

With one last look that Elsa could not interpret, he entered the room, leaving the queen behind with only her thoughts for company.

How could she have been so foolish? She had been so excited over the prospect of her sister becoming a mother, of herself becoming and aunt, that she hadn't stopped to think of the messy implications. But then the child had looked at her, with the most innocent eyes, and reality came crashing down around the queen. Holding her head in her hands, Elsa's thoughts began to race at incredible speed.

_What if I can't control my powers around her?_ she thought, desperately. _What if I hurt her? What if I can't be the aunt that she deserves? What if I shut her out like I did with Anna? What if I…_ And here came the most terrifying of all of Elsa's fears. _What if I freeze her, too? What if I kill her?_

She couldn't sit anymore, she had to move. Standing up, Elsa began to pace back and forth, leaving icy footprints in her wake, and a new fear presenting itself in her head every few seconds. She was so consumed within her own head that she did not notice the door to Anna's room open and Kristoff step back out into the hallway. He stood watching her, confused, for a few moments before making his presence known.

"Elsa," he began, causing the queen to jump. "Anna's asking for you."

Elsa looked up at her brother-in-law for a moment before turning away and wrapping her arms around her torso.

"I can't, Kristoff," she insisted shaking her head.

"I don't understand," Kristoff replied slowly.

"Don't you see?" Elsa cried, desperately, turning to face him. "I'm dangerous. I could hurt her. Or worse…" she trailed off, not willing to voice her fear.

"No," Kristoff said quietly. "Don't do this. Don't you dare shut out your own niece. You owe her more than that. You own Anna more than that."

Elsa stopped, suddenly ashamed of herself, and turned toward the ice harvester. "You're right," she admitted. "I'm sorry, I'm just so scared."

Kristoff placed a surprisingly gently hand on her shoulder. "Well, you never know until you try. Hang on, I'll ask everyone to clear the room and give you two a few minutes alone.

Elsa nodded and watched him disappear back into the room, taking the time to calm down and melt the ice that she had created in the hallway. He reemerged moments later with the doctor and nurses in tow. "Take as much time as you need," Kristoff assured her.

After giving him a small nod, Elsa carefully opened the door and, reluctantly, slid slowly into the room, remaining next to the door and as still as possible. Anna looked up from her daughter, locking eyes with her sister. In those few moments, watching the numerous emotions swirl around within the queen told Anna everything she needed to know. Much more attuned to the emotions and fears of her older sister than Kristoff, she could easily read the thoughts that were practically written across the older girl's face.

"Elsa," she began, gently. "Please come here."

Elsa could only clasp her hands to her chest and give a quick shake of the head, avoiding her sister's eyes.

"Elsa," Anna repeated, much more firmly. "Come here. Now."

Noting the tone of voice, Elsa looked back up at her sister and saw the mix of determination and hurt in her eyes. Taking in a shaky breath, the queen took slow and careful steps toward the bed before she was standing next to the chair she had faithfully occupied for the better part of the last several hours.

"Sit," Anna instructed and Elsa obeyed. "Now, hold out your arms."

But Elsa remained still, with her hands clasped in her lap. "No, I can't," she insisted.

"Elsa…" Anna started, but was interrupted by her sister.

"No!" Elsa exclaimed, running her fingers through her hair. "I can't! What if I hurt her? What if I'm too cold? What if I end up freezing her like I did with you?"

Anna merely watching in silence as Elsa continued to rant about all of the horrible things that could happen if she was allowed near the baby, never looking at her sister. As she watched the queen begin to use her hands and arms to gesture and better illustrate her points, Anna got an idea and waited for the right moment.

"I can't be the aunt that she deserves, Anna," she was still insisting, holding out her hands, palms up. "She deserves someone she won't ever have to be afraid of, someone who would never shut her out, someone…"

Elsa would have continued if it hadn't been for the sudden weight that had dropped into her arms. Looking down, she met a pair of small, sapphire eyes for the second time. Only, this time, it was different. This time, it wasn't scary. This time, Elsa fell in love.

As she gazed into those innocent eyes, Elsa finally realized that there was nothing to be afraid of. She could never hurt the little life in her arms, this perfect, beautiful child, who looked so much like her mother. Tightening her hold, Elsa reached up and stroked the baby's cheek with her index finger.

"She's so warm," she stated absentmindedly, to no one in particular. She looked up at her sister and smiled. "And she's not even shivering."

Anna smiled back, grateful that her plan had worked. "Her name is Ava, by the way," she revealed.

Elsa looked back down at her niece. "Ava," she breathed. Looking over toward the balcony doors, the queen looked back at her sister and tilted her head in their direction. "May I?" she asked, and was answered with a smile and a nod.

Standing up, Elsa held the child close to her chest and walked out onto the balcony for a moment alone with her niece. Looking over the fjord for a moment, the queen quickly directed attention back to the tiny human in her arms and smiled, stroking the girl's soft cheek again with her finger.

"Hello, Ava," she began warmly. "I'm your Aunt Elsa. I'm sorry that I ran out earlier. You see, I was afraid, because when your mommy and I were little, there was an accident that hurt your mommy and I had to go away for a while." Elsa swallowed thickly before continuing. "But I'm never going to have to go away from you," she promised. "I will always be here for you. I don't want to make the same mistake twice, because you deserves so much better than that, my little dove, just like your mommy did. So, whenever you need me, I'm going to be there, I promise."

As she finished speaking, Ava's hand reached up and grasped onto Elsa's finger, causing the queen to let out a giggle.

"I love you, little dove," Elsa whispered, placing a kiss on her niece's forehead and gently rocked her back and forth.

They stayed that way for several minutes, before a voice behind Elsa startled her. "You know, we're going to need her back, eventually," Kristoff pointed out.

Elsa turned and smiled warmly at her brother-in-law. "Of course," she relented, and followed him back into the room.

Still holding Ava close, Elsa made her way to the bed and sat down next to her sister, with Kristoff occupying the chair.

"Have a good talk," Anna asked, smiling.

"Yes, I think we've come to an understanding," Elsa replied, smiling back.

Anna leaned over, her head on her sister's shoulder and an arm around her waist, as they both stared at the little girl in front of them.

"She's beautiful, Anna, just like her mother," Elsa whispered, turning to press a kiss into her sister's hair.

"Like her aunt, too," Anna replied.

"I love Anna, and I'm sorry for how I acted," Elsa admitted quietly, looking over at the younger girl.

"You're forgiven, and I love you too, Elsie," Anna reassured her, lifting her head to meet her sister's eyes.

A tiny cooing pulled their attention back to the baby in Elsa's arms, causing them both to chuckle.

"And you, little dove," Elsa smiled, tapping her niece's nose, Anna's head resting back on her shoulder.

And there they stayed, sharing conversation now and then and passing Ava around in turns. Elsa's fears were forgotten, as she scarcely took her eyes off of the little girl, musing that, for the first time in forever, her family finally felt whole again.

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**Quick Note: Ava is my favorite girl's name and is derived from the Latin word_ avis_ which means "bird." That's why Elsa calls her "little dove." Did you like it? In future one shots, should I include little Ava? Let me know!**

**I hope you enjoyed the story, and, as always, reviews are love!**


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